Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Oh yes. The quilt sandwich is done. I'm getting so close! I really like how this quilt is turning out and it was so easy! I can't wait to show you the finished product. Sorry about the poor photos of late... Some day I'll take a class. Right now I feel luck to get the pictures at all. Partly because...

Sweet Ruffin has learned a new skill. He is so ready and so proud of himself! :)

Friday, June 17, 2011

Wow! Three blog posts in two weeks, which means I'm actually getting things done! Summer is AWESOME! I have three things to report on today:

First of all, some of you may remember my post last fall of some memories of my Grannie, who passed away. Well, she did teach me to crochet, but she was also an excellent seamstress. She worked in a sewing factory for nearly 30 years, so you know when she came home and sewed even more, she wasn't doing it for fun, but for practicality - pretty much all clothes for her children. By the time I came along, she was retired, but she was still sewing, more for fun, but still mostly clothes for us. Well, when my dad and sister were going through her things this winter, they packed me a bag of some of her sewing stuff (my sister got some too). Here is my sewing inheritance:

Check out the crazy tiny spools of thread!! Does thread have a shelf-life? I would guess the polyester is okay to use, but what about cotton blends? Either way the old wooden spools are really awesome! I also got some clothing patterns. The green shorts pattern is dated 1972. The cute girls red & gray dresses in the center of the last picture are dated 1959. I will have to look for dates on the other ones. Many of them have my dad and his siblings' names written on them - how cool!

Second report: The stacked coin quilt top for cousin Jack is done! Now I have to sandwich, quilt and bind! Yay! I showed it to my husband and asked him what he thought and he said "Its funky." Judging from my facial expression (I assume) he quickly added, "I mean, but not in a bad way. It's, you know, colorful and has lots of different patterns." Oh. So you mean, it looks like a quilt? This is why I don't usually bother to ask him... Sheesh. Here is the finished and pressed top!

Last order of business: Ruffin love, of course! We recently got a set of those puzzle-piece foam mats to create a play area for him in our basement where I sew and my husband plays video games works on his computer. He loves it. Here is the mat: (before anyone complains, we have already covered up the cords behind him...)

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Even though we have a teacher workday tomorrow, this weekend has felt like summer vacation already! I got all my normal weekly cleaning done yesterday so today I GOT TO SEW!!! I think most of you who read my blog know how good that felt! I am working on a quilt for cousin Jack and it is going to be great! I am using the stacked coin tutorial from the Moda Bake Shop - yum. I cut my own coins, however, rather than use a charm pack. Even though I didn't have the easy "chop the coins in half" step, this quilt is a breeze and I love the way it looks! I bought this fabric (Shade Garden by Michelle Engel Bencsko in the blue colorway) for a quilt for Ruffin last summer, but that never materialized (big surprise). So when I found out that Jack was having a "seaside" theme for his nursery, I knew that this fabric would be great. I remembered that there was another rose colorway that would make a perfect beach mix! I think the blues and greens are ocean-like, the yellows are the sand and the pinks are reminiscent of seashells (Carmen, I totally just typed "seaschell" haha). All of that beach aura without pictures of the beach - I like it! What do you think?

Coin strips sewn and pressed!I hate all the pressing, but I love, love the way it looks when its done!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

So I skipped April AND May. Yikes. In my defense, those are really busy months at school. Also, Ruffin is 9 months old now (What??!! I know!!!) and has 6 teeth, has started eating and is crawling all over the house, which is much more involved than nursing and lying there looking cute. I have managed to make more recorder bags for my students (they still love them) and some more of those cute boxy pouches (special order from my sister-in-law). I have even cut out most of the pieces for a quilt for Ruffin's cousin (who was born in January - oops) and its going to be even cuter than I thought! I am hoping this summer will be a crafty-productive one. Only 5 more days of school. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I would really like to make some pants for Ruffin. I got some super cute fabric for it. Anyone know a super-easy pants pattern?

I figured you don't really care about more recorder bags or boxy pouches, so here is some Ruffin love and cousin Jack's barely-started quilt! I will try not to be gone so long next time. Thanks for hanging in there!